Year 12 #1 - GCSEs are sooo last year!

[bpisok]

New thread to see us through to Christmas?

It certainly worked in DS2’s year thread. The main thread was the busier, chattier one.

I do wonder if all this Oxbridge talk might put the average poster off this thread.

I'm possibly the average poster with my first child. Very proud of DS1's BBC at A-level and his place that he got by the skin of his teeth at a non-Russell group university.

I'm hoping we'll also continue to hear from those thinking about other post-18 pathways (jobs, apprenticeships etc).

Oratory I think for Oxford at least A* at GCSE are key, second only to scores on aptitude tests. Anyhow, I'll wrap up now :)

I know what you’re saying Ellen but I think it’s a bit too early to create that thread, as hardly anyone really knows if Oxbridge is a possibility yet!

Indeed, First and I still post on the chat thread for DS2’s year despite him not doing A levels and not going to university, as you know. It was a really friendly, inclusive thread as this one has been but 3 pages of Oxbridge required grades is only interesting to a few. The Oxbridge specific talk was confined to a separate thread which kept the main thread more inclusive, IMO.

Absolutely - this thread got a bit derailed!
Personally I would like to keep this thread going as a generic thread because I don't want to lose anyone either - regardless of what our young'uns do.
Anything specific we can set up different threads for?
The support on this thread has been fabulous.

Yes, it’s pretty lovely here!

Was drafting a post for last few hours as kept getting pulled away but I can see the convo has moved on. Was just going to say that sooner or later we will need to think of the numbers in their own right and not as a mapping to the letter grades. The numbers were brought into differentiate further so given that if you are somebody who selects by looking at differentiation why wouldn't you use the data that shows that - maybe not know but someday in the future as everybody transitions to number and we have a few years of data to see what is the appropriate cut off for a relevant uni/subject. It is actually beyond Oxbridge and can be applied to any uni.

And yes I love this thread too 

I have found the Oxbridge chat quite intimidating (as I posted yesterday), but I'd be concerned that if we splinter, we will lose the support that we get by being together.

This is thread number - 21? or something like that - so we have waxed and waned over various topics over the last 20,000 posts. Maybe if the Oxbridge chat is a bit exclusive, other regulars can just wait until the topic turns towards something a bit more relevant to their DC, just like last year?

Total change of subject..... DS has his CAMHS appointment tomorrow. I understand from the lady who phoned that he will go in on his own at the beginning and then I will join him at some point. I wondered if those of you with experience with CAMHS have any thoughts on what I should make sure I ask/say/find out. It is all new and I feel a bit out of my depth and unsure.

Also do you know what the person will be (as in are they likely to be doctor/nurse/social worker)?

Fortunately DS is OK at the moment, but I'm hoping that they will still see that there is an issue (even though I am scared of the thought of medication and its potential side effects). Also not sure if it is likely that the person we see would prescribe medication.

Whistl DS2’s year thread didn’t splinter. All the posters stayed on the main thread and just did their Oxbridge stuff on the specific thread. But, anyway, just my opinion.

abitofataste the only advise I can give is to be led by the professionals and your son. They do this day in day out and will be used to different experiences and different family dynamics. I think our tendency as parents is to push for answers and action and think we should lead on finding solutions/asking questions. But I would try and be led by them.

Most likely MH nurse/social worker or combination but not always.

Sorry, abitofastate no experience of CAMHS, but with other appointments (paediatrician, SENCO etc) I’ve always it useful to write all my questions down so I don’t forget anything if I get emotional. Taking a friend or relative as a second pair of ears and/or as a note taker, and asking if I could record the conversation in case I forgot anything. This last one not always appropriate. Some time without your DS in case there’s anything you want to say that’s not for his ears, but this was when DS was a lot younger.

As far as I remember, DS1's year group GCSE support thread did discuss Oxbridge applications on the main thread (they must have done, as some of them are studying there now). I just skimmed past the Oxbridge-specific posts. They may have also had a spin-off thread; I wouldn't know. The main thread is still going.

abitofastate I have been through the process with one of my children. The first appointment was with a specialist registrar (training to be a consultant psychiatrist). She chatted to both of us together, then to the young person alone.

They did, First with OYBBK plus etc.

Really hope it goes well for you both

I guess at this point we all have DC that are considering options and that applies to all. There will further down the line (next year) as we approach applications that any Oxbridge applicants may have further steps in the p

Further steps in the process so a separate thread at that point may make sense and we keep both threads running.

@abitofastate** we had a similar process. Seen by a psychologist. First few sessions were to determine the issues and decide next steps. I don't think they would be prescribing anything on the first appt. I do think each experience is bound to be unique to the situation. You may get asked the question what outcomes you are hoping for. We were and that was harder to articulate at first.

My child received support from CAMHS for 4 years, and at times had weekly appointments.

At the beginning of each appointment, the CAMHS worker should tell you their name and role. At the end of each appointment, they should give you some idea of what the next step is (e.g. follow-up appointment in X weeks/months, referral for CBT etc, discharge from their service). If they don't give you this information, then ask.

Keep a copy (or just a photo) of letters you receive from them. Keep your own record of referral dates, dates medication started and stopped etc. If you are told there will be a follow-up or a referral and nothing happens within a reasonable timeframe, be prepared to chase them up.

Definitely advise writing all your questions down in advance - that won't faze a health professional at all. It is really so difficult to remember everything otherwise.
On the Oxbridge/grades thing - Honestly, an 8 is an A star. Remember, these exams were harder than the old ones!

@abitofastate good luck for tomorrow. I know how much can rest on these appointments. I hope you feel like you've made progress after tomorrow.

We've just been to a GCSE certificate presentation evening at DD's old school. It was a real reminder of all the reasons she left. She was always under the radar and ignored as one of the average quiet kids. As usual the same few outgoing kids with parents on the board of governors got all the awards. All her old anxieties came out and the bitchy group of girls completely blanked her. It really brought it home how much she's changed and grown up since she left that school.

Re Oxbridge - there's no prospect of that here but I would be happy to keep reading about the process. Some of it will be relevant to those of us with DC planning on other Unis and you lot can pave the way with personal statements for the rest of us to pick up tips a few months later.